June 12, 2017 10:03am EDTJune 11, 2017 7:55pm EDTMotorsport, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, English, Danica PatrickThere's been a lot of frustration this season for Danica Patrick and never has that been more clear following her response to being booed.Danica Patrick(Getty Images)

When one fan approached her on pit road for an autograph, he was stopped by security as Patrick continued to walk by.

When nearby fans saw that, they didn't appreciate it and booed. Patrick then walked over to the booing fans to respond.

"I do the best I can," Patrick said. "I mean, if you’re a real fan, you know that I’m not just — my job is not to sign autographs, right? My job is to drive a car and to tell the crew chief what’s going on. I don’t appreciate the booing. It hurts my feelings. I’m a f— person, you know what I mean? I’m a person too. I have feelings."

It's a fair statement. People don't always deserve to be booed, but professional athletes are expected to be ambassadors of the sport and refusing an autograph isn't exactly the way to endear yourself to fans.

And maybe sponsors are taking notice. Patrick, who will start 24th in Sunday's Pocono 400, lost her sponsorship with Nature's Bakery earlier this year over a contract dispute. Other sponsors haven't exactly been flocking to her, and considering an incident like this where she is shunning a fan, it would be hard to imagine sponsors approaching her with deals especially without a single victory on NASCAR's top circuit.